Heroes in Hogtown

A wise friend recently said, “it doesn’t matter to me what people protest or which cause they fight for, when I see people out on the street speak­ing up I applaude them”.

It is these types of heroes who are driven to speak out and stand up who actively make our world a better place, whether it be for workers rights, gay rights, or those trying to save the rainforest. Our world is far from perfect and those that exercise their freedom of speech are coura­geous and essential.

Fight­ing for human rights should come somewhat easily to many of us since we are human and we want a better life for ourselves and our families. Unique are those that work so hard for others that are the most differ­ent from themselves. I find these selfless individ­u­als that are driven to create a better world for other genders, other nation­al­i­ties and other species extra special. To stand up and fight for animals when there will be no personal gain, only fight­ing for what is fair and what is right creates heroes to a remark­able degree.

In Toronto there is a group of people that push the limits of compas­sion. “Toronto Pig Save” was started by one woman who lives near a slaugh­ter house called, “Quality Meat Packers” where 7000 pigs are slaugh­tered every day. Overwhelmed by the number of helpless pigs that pass through her neigh­bour­hood each day to their deaths, Anita Krajnc feels that she must speak up for these innocent animals. She began holding regular vigils on the street where the trucks pass on their way to slaugh­ter. She strives to bear witness, to pay respect to the thousands of innocent animals who loose their lives every­day near her house. Anita’s crusade to bear witness certainly does not make her one of the 99%. In a city that bears the nickname, “Hogtown” and where most people think of pigs as a strip of bacon on their plate, she is not in the major­ity. However, she is not the only one’s heart which quietly brakes at the sight, smell, and sounds of the pigs passing by each day. Within a year over 500 people have joined Toronto Pig Save. Some of them are not yet vegetar­ian but know that what is happen­ing to these animals is not fair and that things need to change.

I admit that it may be much to expect. To ask that we find it in our hearts to stop killing and eating animals when the major­ity of us do. There is much opposi­tion and resis­tance on the road ahead but each great movement must start from somewhere and those at Toronto Pig Save certainly have a dream. To me they are all heroes.

It is simple to stay at home where it is safe and warm hoping for our world to get better, but without bold vision­ar­ies that push for justice nothing ever has nor will progess. I don’t believe that Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi were thrilled to spend each day and night strate­giz­ing for a better world but there was a need to. For those that I have heard yelling “get a job” out of car windows passing by Toronto Pig Save vigils I respond by saying, the time and passion that these tireless activists put in is so much more impor­tant than the typical 9 to 5.